The Arden Theatre's surprisingly sophisticated new production of
Sleeping Beauty works on so many levels - as a fantasy, as a
thriller, as a comedy, - that parents may enjoy it more than their
children. It's aimed at kids, but it never talks down to them - and it
may even teach them a thing or two. Grownups will appreciate the
crafty script, spirited acting and direction, and the work of a design
team that never seems to run out of ideas.

Using a 1993 script by British playwright Charles Way, this
Sleeping Beauty takes the classic fairy tale and adds some sly
touches. There's a teenaged princess whose parents frustrate her at
every turn (why don't they just let her do what she wants?) and a
slacker prince who'd rather die than kiss a beautiful princess - he's
more fascinated by the jar of maggots he's found. ("What's a maggot?"
I heard a child in the audience say.) And then there's Gryff, an
odd-looking creature who is half dragon, half man ("It was a spell
that went a little wrong," he tells everyone).

Kris Stone's striking set design is dominated by two pendulums -
one for the sun, one for the moon - and a giant clock face that hangs
overhead (shades of Wicked). Here, it all serves the play's theme:
time is marching on too quickly, whether it's Princess Briar Rose
heading toward her sixteenth birthday (the one that will find her
cursed to sleep for a century), or the prince finding that decades fly
by in an instant in his quest to find the missing princess. Richard
St. Clair's costumes are giddily creative, from the scales that cover
Gryff to the witty vision of the evil Spider King (wearing a hat with
a crown made of eyes).

Whit MacLaughlin's direction makes the show just suspenseful enough
to keep kids interested, but not enough to scare them too much. Well,
depending on how old they are, that is: The show is recommended for
ages five and up, and it was too much to handle for a girl in my row
who looked to be three or four. She was terrified by the spooky music
and the shouting actors, and was carried out by her grandmother after
twenty minutes. Still, most of the children around me (including that
child's sister, who looked to be about seven) seemed fascinated by all
the twists and turns of Briar Rose's journey.

The kids loved Nako Adodoadji's spunky, petulant take on Briar
Rose, and I did too. The whole cast is terrific, but standouts include
Sally Mercer as the chillingly malicious Modron; David Raphaely as a
prince who is forced to grow up fast and find out he's not as "utterly
useless" as everyone tells him he is (a lesson kids will appreciate);
and Doug Hara, who plays Gryff as a punk rocker trapped in a fairy
tale he can't wait to break out of.

But you won't want to break out of this Sleeping Beauty's
world. It's a great way to show kids how enchanting the power of
theater can be.

Sleeping Beauty runs through January 27, 2008 at the Arden
Theatre Company, 40 North Second Street. Ticket prices range from $14
to $30 (depending on the age range) and may be purchased by calling
the Arden Box Office at 215-922-1122, online at www.ardentheartre.org
or in person at the box office.